They run the gamut from youth to data, from music to nomenclature, from culture to controversy.

In celebration of World Population Day on July 11, 2014, we’re taking a look back at some of the year’s most powerful family planning stories on VITAL:

Family Planning, Future Planning on World Population Day | By Pape GayeWhat will it take to create a healthy, prosperous world population as we grow past the 7.2 billion mark? And what does family planning have to do with it anyway? Read the post.

For Young People, Is Family Planning a Misnomer? | By Laura HoemekeBy calling what we do family planning, we may be ignoring the fact that many young people aren’t trying to plan families—they’re trying to plan futures. Read the post.

Imams in Senegal Are Not against Family Planning | By Dr. Cheikh Seck“In Senegal, we have not been brainwashed by international donors to support family planning,” says Seck and his colleagues. “Our primary interest is the well-being of the people of our country.” Read the post.

In Ethiopia, the Beat Goes On, in Music and Health | By David OlsonHow do you get young people to talk about family planning? Just unpack the music studio and hand them the mic. Read the post. 

Data Can Tell Stories—and Improve Health Care | By Amanda PuckettIn Liberia, technologists are learning to make two powerful information systems operate together, slowly revealing the story of how family planning there does—and doesn't—work. Read the post. 

The Health Worker of the Future: Four Key Roles They’ll Play in the 21st Century | By Rebecca KohlerHow will health workers meet the world’s evolving needs in 2015 and beyond? Read the post.

For Children, Health Workers Are Key to Longer Lives | By Corinne MahoneyParents of five-year-olds everywhere share many experiences. But access to high-quality child health services is not one of them. Read the post at http://www.intrahealth.org/blog/children-health-workers-are-key-longer-lives.

Letter to the Editor: From Recife to Addis Ababa | By Pape GayeWe can't make reproductive health services fully accessible without taking on the global health workforce crisis, says Pape Gaye in a letter featured in Addis Fortune. Read the post. 

Preventing Stockouts, Saving Lives | By Carol CisséWe talk a lot about the need to increase demand for family planning, but the reality is simple: no contraceptives, no demand. Read the post.

Let’s Pass the Mic to Young People | By Katelyn Bryant-ComstockAs youth around the world get more involved in the field of family planning (or future planning), their voices are ringing out all the clearer. Read the post. And watch our world population grow on the US and World Population Clock, courtesy of the United States Census Bureau: